Wonderful wagtails!

Hello

A couple of us returned to Brixworth STW to complete a little more ringing this morning, this time a little more targeted. It paid off with four more Grey Wagtails caught and ringed plus two Pied Wagtails, a Yellow Wagtail, half a dozen Meadow Pipits and four species of warbler. Other birds noted included a couple of un-ringed Grey Wagtails, a Hobby, two Ravens and a couple of Water Rails.

The birds at Stanwick Pits today included a Marsh Harrier and seven Cattle Egrets with nearby Ditchford Pits/Irthlingborough attracting two Great White Egrets, four Cattle Egrets, twelve Snipe and a Common Sandpiper.

Pitsford Reservoir attracted two Great White Egrets, a female Red-crested Pochard, a Greenshank, three Green Sandpipers, three Dunlin and an adult Yellow-legged Gull, all north of the causeway.

Hollowell Reservoir held a Garganey and a Great White Egret and a Peregrine was on St Mary's Church at Higham Ferrers. At Lamport Hall a Marsh Harrier flew across the fields towards Scaldwell and migrant passerines included a Common Redstart and two Spotted Flycatchers.

Thirty Yellow Wagtails were in cow fields at Hanging Houghton this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Yellow Wagtail.

Grey Wagtail.

Reed Warbler.

A grey day...

Hello

A rather grey day and definitely a lack of reported sightings around the county despite being very much  migration time! There were still plenty of Siskins and Meadow Pipits filtering through the county during the day...

Dave's ringing session at Pitsford Reservoir concluded this morning and in total he captured 94 birds of sixteen species which included 34 Blue Tits, 12 Great Tits, 4 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Wrens, 4 Dunnocks, 5 Robins, 8 Chiffchaffs, 3 Reed Warblers, a Sedge Warbler, 2 Whitethroats, a Blackcap, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 8 Tree Sparrows, 5 Chaffinches, 2 Greenfinches and a Moorhen.

A busy ringing session at Brixworth Treatment Works yielded 184 birds of twenty species made up of a Blackbird, a Song Thrush, 3 Dunnocks, 5 Robins, 7 Wrens, 18 Great Tits, 43 Blue Tits, a Pied Wagtail, 2 Grey Wagtails, 35 Meadow Pipits, 2 Swallows, 15 Blackcaps, 20 Chiffchaffs, 2 Willow Warblers, 3 Sedge Warblers, 3 Reed Warblers, 2 Cetti's Warblers, a Chaffinch, 9 Goldfinches and 11 Reed Buntings.

Other birds seen there included a Raven, a Hobby, a Water Rail and at least four Grey Wagtails in total.

Stanwick Pits first thing provided Steve Fisher with nine Cattle Egrets again at the western end of the complex plus a Marsh Harrier. Four of those Cattle Egrets were later on the main lake and the Siskin count of birds going over south was at least 56. Adrian had a probable Marsh Harrier at Ringstead Pits this afternoon plus a Yellow-legged Gull.

Regards

Neil M

Cetti's Warbler at Brixworth today,
images courtesy of Lynne Barnett.

Meadow Pipit.

Muntjac.

More ringing!

Hello

Perfect conditions for mist netting small birds ensured that ringers in the county and just over the border were especially busy.

The Stanford Reservoir Ringing Group again processed large numbers of passage migrants today which included an extraordinary total of 269 Blackcaps, 82 Chiffchaffs, 3 Willow Warblers, 5 Whitethroats, 2 Garden Warblers, 2 Sedge Warblers and 7 Reed Warblers. Five more Common Redstarts were captured today (taking the Stanford total to an amazing 28 birds this year) and two Goldcrests and thirteen Meadow Pipits also joined the throng. The star of the show though was the rare and difficult to identify Marsh Warbler which was well photographed before released.

Chris Payne committed to some ringing at a private site near Greens Norton and his haul included 21 Blackcaps, 8 Chiffchaffs, 11 Blue Tits and an excellent 10 Siskins plus singles of Goldcrest, Treecreeper, Willow Warbler and Reed Warbler.

Kenny and Helen and helper Keith worked extremely hard at Linford Lakes today to process a superb total of 202 birds and again warblers dominated with 15 Reed Warblers, 29 Chiffchaffs, 4 Willow Warblers, a Whitethroat, 41 Blackcaps, 2 Cetti's Warblers and 13 Sedge Warblers. Forty-one Long-tailed Tits and twenty-eight Blue Tits boosted the total and variety came in the shape of a Carrion Crow, two Meadow Pipits and a Goldcrest. Birds noted on-site included a Peregrine and a flock of Siskins and excellent mammals comprised of Otter and Water Shrew.

Dave Francis was ringing at Pitsford Reservoir today and will continue his session tomorrow and ringing is planned for Brixworth STW tomorrow morning.

Away from ringing a Naturetrek day tour at Pitsford Reservoir took in a walk around the reserve and the best of the birds were three Great White Egrets, four Hobbies hawking insects, a female Red-crested Pochard, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, three Kingfishers and plenty of Siskins and common warblers. Other birds seen included a Green Sandpiper and two Snipe and odonata included Migrant Hawker, Common Darter, Ruddy Darter and Common Blue Damselfly. Five species of butterfly were on the wing and the moth trap provided thirteen species for us to peruse including a couple of Large Red Underwings and a variety of autumnal species.

In the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton, Stuart Munday caught sight of a male Merlin again attacking the plentiful Goldfinches, a Whinchat and a Stonechat.

At Stanwick Pits today, Steve Fisher saw five Cattle Egrets on the Main Lake, Adrian witnessed three flying Crossbills at Kettering over Weekly Wood Avenue, a Great White Egret was seen in flight over Oundle this morning, two Little Owls were on show at Delapre Abbey (Northampton) first thing and three Ring-necked Parakeets were in flight at Wollaston.

The stunning Blue Underwing moth or Clifden nonpareil was seen at two places in the county today, there are a number of Hummingbird Hawk-moths being reported and still good numbers of the active day-flying Silver Ys. A Clouded Yellow butterfly was at Clifford Hill Pits today but the remaining couple at Hanging Houghton haven't been seen/reported since the week-end.

Regards

Neil M

Carrion Crow courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Willow Warbler courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Dunnock courtesy of
Kenny Cramer.

Treecreeper courtesy
of Chris Payne.

Reed Warbler courtesy
of Chris Payne.

Siskin courtesy of
Chris Payne.

Yet more Siskins!

Hello

Again another day with limited opportunities to go looking for wildlife but three observers at Harrington Airfield this morning pooled a list which included at least four Common Redstarts, a Whinchat, a Wheatear, a Peregrine and two Turtle Doves. A constant flow of Siskin continues to pour in and through the county with one flock of over fifty birds. Two Common Redstarts persist in their favoured hedgerow at Blueberry Farm. Maidwell.

Chris Payne conducted some ringing in his Greens Norton garden this morning and he caught and processed twenty Goldfinches, eighteen Greenfinches, fifteen Blue Tits plus a single Blackcap and a Robin.

Neil Hasdell saw three Great White Egrets and an adult Yellow-legged Gull in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir and Stuart confirmed the continued presence of Common Crossbills at Wakerley Wood with several in the larches around the car park.

Steve Fisher counted nine Cattle Egrets roosting in a tree at Stanwick Pits at the west end this morning and saw a Caspian Gull on the Visitor Centre Pit and eight Yellow-legged Gulls this afternoon.

A Barn Owl was again hunting the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this evening.

Regards

Neil M

The trail camera is still
recording nightly Hedgehog
visits to the garden but efforts
at deploying the camera elsewhere
for perhaps scarcer animals has 
so far drawn a blank.

Male Kestrel courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Juvenile Kestrel courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

The Stonechat should now
begin to migrate through the 
county with good numbers in
 recent years. Image courtesy
 of Robin Gossage.

Malaki is back!

Hello

Limited opportunities for birding today but a quick foray out at Pitsford Reservoir was good for a juvenile Shag and an adult Yellow-legged Gull by the dam and two Great White Egrets, two Green Sandpipers and another adult Yellow-legged Gull were in the Scaldwell Bay.

Just two Whinchats were still present in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and Siskins were still passing over during the day.

A Spoonbill seen in flight over Billing Garden Centre heading for Billing Aquadrome early this morning was a good record and it seems that the adult from the summer is still with us somewhere!

Some Ring-necked Parakeets were present in the grounds of St Andrews Hospital, Northampton today and Steve successfully counted four Common Redstarts at Harrington Airfield between the Chippings Compound and Bunker One.

Jonathan's efforts at Hollowell Reservoir this evening provided views of a Great White Egret, two juvenile Ruff and a Whinchat.

Malaki the African Grey Parrot has been located and recaptured and safely back in his Earls Barton home!!

Regards

Neil M

Painted Lady.

Ivy Bee.

Hummingbird Hawk-moth.

Buddleia heaven in a Sywell
garden - images courtesy of
Jim Dunkley!

Harrington ringing

Hello

A period of bird ringing at Harrington Airfield today seemingly followed a night where there was something of a clear out of lingering migrants! So we had to rely on new birds arriving post-dawn and a few residents. In total 69 birds were encountered, only seven of which were birds ringed on a previous occasion. There was a strong diurnal movement of pipits, wagtails and Siskins overhead and we managed to lure 26 Meadow Pipits, a Grey Wagtail and a Yellow Wagtail into the nets. Warblers were few in number but five Chiffchaffs, a Common Whitethroat and eight Blackcaps were processed. Finches included nine Linnets and a couple of Chaffinches and buntings showed with three Yellowhammers and a Reed Bunting caught and ringed. Two Green Woodpeckers were both originally ringed earlier in the year.

Other birds present were two very skulking Common Redstarts between the Chippings Compund and Bunker One and two Tree Pipits which initially lingered but then moved on. Three different Sparrowhawks were seen marauding around the bushes and probably didn't help our cause! Fly-overs included a Little Egret.

Elsewhere and Pitsford Reservoir today hosted a juvenile Shag on the dam and then later presumably a different individual on the causeway, a female Red-crested Pochard, a Hobby, a Great White Egret and the continuation of the heavy Siskin movement.

The Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton attracted a Marsh Harrier, two Whinchats, a Tree Pipit and a Hobby and Borough Hill CP over at Daventry was good for two Wheatears and a Raven. Wakerley Wood remains the venue for Crossbills with about forty in the larches by the main car park. Two Great White Egrets remained at Summer Leys LNR.

An African Grey Parrot was lost from captivity in Earls Barton yesterday. The bird is tame and a significant reward is available to anyone who can reunite the bird with it's owner! Birds such as this often move quite a way from their captive origin and a variety of parrots in the past have successfully spent long periods in the countryside where they quickly learn to forage fruits, seeds etc. I have the details of the owner and contact number should you come across 'Malaki' the African Grey Parrot!

Regards

Neil M

Autumnal pictures of
Harrington Airfield courtesy
of Lynne Barnett.

Yellowhammer courtesy of
Lynne Lambert.

Grey Wagtail courtesy
of Lynne Barnett.

Small birds on the move

Hello

Perhaps the most obvious passerine migrants flying over the county today were Meadow Pipit, all three hirundine species and Siskin.

An intrepid team of ringers carried out a session at Stortons Pits this morning capturing and processing 82 birds of which 74 were newly ringed. Warblers dominated with thirty Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler, a Cetti's Warbler, a Lesser Whitethroat, three Common Whitethroats, two Reed Warblers, a Willow Warbler and five Chiffchaffs.

A few hours ringing at Brixworth Treatment Works this morning with just two nets provided over forty captures including ten Blackcaps, three Sedge Warblers, twelve Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler and a Siskin. At least four Grey Wagtails were present and a juvenile Osprey flew over the site, jostling with a Raven as it went on it's way!

At least three Common Redstarts were present at Harrington Airfield this evening in the bushes between the Chippings Compound and Bunker One and a pair of vocal Hobbies were present too. The site will be off limits tomorrow whilst ringing operations are conducted but access to the concrete track and footpaths is unaffected.

Three Common Redstarts were along the footpath between Pitsford Reservoir and the villages of Walgrave and Old but generally they were elusive. At least three Common Redstarts were at Lamport Hall as were two Spotted Flycatchers and there were still two Common Redstarts and a Tree Pipit at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell.

Chelveston Airfield boasted forty-one Yellow Wagtails, a Tree Pipit and a Whinchat.

Birds at Hollowell Reservoir today included a Great White Egret and a Common Sandpiper and Pitsford's birds included a juvenile Shag, two Great White Egrets, two adult Yellow-legged Gulls, two Green Sandpipers, two Hobbies and a Wheatear. Two Ruff were seen briefly at Hardwater Lake, Earls Barton Pits and two Ravens were frequenting Dallington Cemetry, Northampton.

A Barn Owl was watched hunting the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Lesser Whitethroat courtesy
of Chris Payne.

Treecreeper courtesy
of Chris Payne.

The wonderful Hobby
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Siskins, Common Redstarts and Grey Wagtails

Hello.

The migrant of the day was very much the Siskin with flocks moving over all day. Grey Wagtails were also on the move with a concentration of at least four at Brixworth.

Some four or five Common Redstarts were at Harrington Airfield this morning, all concentrated between the Chippings Compound and Bunker One made up of two adult males, a first year male and one or two female(s). Also present was a Golden Plover and a Wheatear and there was also a Painted Lady butterfly.

Nearby at Lamport Hall there were still at least four Common Redstarts and two Spotted Flycatchers and the Linnet flock on the fields attracted an adult male Merlin. Two Common Redstarts were still in hedging at Blueberry Farm this afternoon. A Clouded Yellow and a Painted Lady were on the nectar strip in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Elsewhere and a Whinchat was near Glapthorn Cow Pasture, a Spotted Flycatcher was at Hardingstone Lake and there were still several Swifts at Clifford Hill Pits and over twenty Yellow Wagtails in cow fields between Little Brington and Brockhall.

In the Nene Valley Summer Leys LNR provided a Dunlin, a Common Sandpiper and Great White Egret and Titchmarsh LNR at Thrapston yielded a Yellow-legged Gull, a Common Snipe and two Peregrines. A juvenile Shag remained at Pitsford Reservoir just south of the causeway and a Lesser Redpoll at Wellingborough is only the second I've heard of so far this autumn.

A ringing session will take place at Harrington Airfield on Monday 7th September during which time general access to the bunkers and old airstrip will be restricted. The concrete track and footpaths remain open.

A Naturetrek birdwatching day tour at Pitsford Reservoir is planned for this Thursday 10th September starting at 9am and there are still a few places available. Should you wish to come along to the all day event please look at the Naturetrek website (https://www.naturetrek.co.uk/) and if it appeals sign up on line and I look forward to seeing you there!

Regards

Neil M

Starlings.

A red dawn at Pitsford
Reservoir yesterday morning.

A first year male
Common Redstart at
Harrington Airfield today.

More ringing data

Hello

Birds reported at Pitsford Reservoir today included three juvenile Shags around the causeway tunnel, a Great White Egret, three Pintail, two Green Sandpipers and five Siskins over.

At Hollowell Reservoir there was a fishing Osprey, a Great White Egret, a Garganey, a Pintail, two Hobbies and a Common Sandpiper.

Further east and Stanwick Pits attracted similar birds to the previous couple of days which included three Cattle Egrets and a Great White Egret. A Peregrine remained at St Mary's church in Higham Ferrers.

Elsewhere and a Tree Pipit was witnessed flying over Brackley and another was sound recorded over Duston, Northampton. A roosting flock of 32 Yellow Wagtails were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this evening.

Some ringing recoveries/sightings are as follows:-

1. The recently seen female Pochard at Pitsford Reservoir with a nasal saddle fitted was first ringed in France at Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu on 20th May 2016 and has been seen there regularly in 2016/2017/2019 and 2020. In fact she was still there on 17th June 2020 before turning up at Pitsford last month;

2. A first year Reed Warbler ringed at Icklesham, East Sussex on 7th August 2017 was encountered again at Stortons Pits on 2nd July 2020 when deemed to be an adult female and probably breeding. A total of 1060 days and six African journeys elapsed inbetween times!

3. A juvenile Cetti's Warbler was ringed at Brandon Marsh, Warwickshire on 6th July 2019 and caught again at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes on 12th July 2020 when regarded as an adult female. She had moved 56km in a SE direction over a period of 372 days to find a suitable breeding territory;

4. A predated Barn Owl found at Pitsford Reservoir on 12th July this year had been ringed as a nestling at Rutland Water on 9th June 2017 - 1129 days had elapsed between both records, 32km separating the two sites.

Regards

Neil M

Pochard.

Reed Warbler.

Barn Owl courtesy of
Chris Payne.

Cetti's Warbler.

September birds

Hello

It seems that there has been quite an exodus of small birds associated with summer during the last twenty-four hours and an influx of classic autumn birds with more waterfowl arriving.

A saunter into the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning paid off with a super adult male Merlin chasing the passerines around the nectar crop strip next to 'shrike hedge' plus a couple of Whinchats in the same area. Later on there were 2/3 Clouded Yellow butterflies on the nectar crop strip nearer to the Brampton Valley Way.

A subsequent recce at Pitsford Reservoir from the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station was sufficient to spot a Great White Egret, four Pintail, a Dunlin and a Green Sandpiper in the Scaldwell Bay and a juvenile Shag on and next to the causeway near to the tunnel. A subsequent more thorough perusal by David Arden later added a second Great White Egret, a Garganey, an Osprey and three Hobbies. This evening there was a juvenile Black Tern and a very good-looking freshly moulted adult winter plumage Mediterranean Gull (plus just two Yellow-legged Gulls) all off the Sailing Club.

Hollowell Reservoir hosted two Great White Egrets, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, two Common Sandpipers and a Whinchat. Harrington Airfield seemed very quiet for passerines this afternoon but there were still two Common Redstarts between the Chippings Compound and Bunker One, four over-flying Crossbills, three Ravens and a Hobby. Nearby at Lamport Hall, there was no sign of any Pied Flycatchers, only a single first year male Common Redstart and three/four Spotted Flycatchers were found. The Yellow Wagtail flock had also reduced considerably and I only saw nine with cattle in the cow fields at Hanging Houghton.

Blueberry Farm still hung on to some of it's birds with at least two Common Redstarts present plus four Whinchats, a Marsh Harrier and a Short-eared Owl that seemingly set off aiming for Harrington Airfield! A male Common Redstart was still present off the footpath leading from Twywell Hills and Dales Country Park.

In the Nene Valley, Chris Green noted ten Common Snipe at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows, a Whinchat was near Bozeat and a Dunlin was on the scrape at Summer Leys LNR. At Stanwick Pits Steve Fisher totaled up a Cattle Egret, three Great White Egrets, about fifty Wigeon, two Little Ringed Plovers, five Common Sandpipers, a Dunlin, a Ringed Plover and nine Yellow-legged Gulls.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Shag at Pitsford
Reservoir courtesy of
Dave Jackson.

Birds of Wednesday.

Hello

The bushes and hedgerow at Lamport Hall were eerily quiet this morning but I spent some time scanning and listening and eventually identified at least three different Common Redstarts which included a different individual from yesterday (a female). A Spotted Flycatcher sat out briefly and small flocks of Siskins flew through and the cattle attracted at least twelve Yellow Wagtails. Warblers seemed to include just singletons of Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff so back to Hanging Houghton where earlier I had seen an overflying and calling Tree Pipit flying south and about twenty-five Yellow Wagtails with the grazing cattle. A Grey Wagtail was in the general area.

Whilst back at home there were fleeting visits in the garden from further singletons of Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler and then a juvenile Common Buzzard alighted on the shed roof! He/she didn't stay long.

A visit to Market Harborough to see the Otters that have been showing well on the River Welland there drew a blank despite me patrolling the banks for nearly three hours. Three animals have been seen together very recently. My wildlife highlights were an adult male Peregrine circling over the town plus a couple of Nuthatches and a juvenile Grey Wagtail.

In the meantime Eleanor's daily jaunt in to the Brampton Valley provided a Peregrine (also an adult male) and four Whinchats and the nearby Blueberry Farm complex remained the place to see two Tree Pipits, three Common Redstarts, a Wheatear and four more Whinchats. Neil Underwood located two Common Redstarts at Harrington Airfield today, a Great White Egret was at Hollowell Reservoir and three Shags were congregated just off the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir late morning.

A Bittern was an excellent find on the scrape at Summer Leys LNR this morning plus a Snipe, a Common Sandpiper, two Dunlin and a Great White Egret. Not too far away and another Peregrine was perched on St Mary's church, Higham Ferrers.

This evening and Steve Fisher's diligent efforts at Stanwick Pits provided views of four Cattle Egrets, a Great White Egret, twenty-one Yellow-legged Gulls, two Little Ringed Plovers and a Common Sandpiper.

Regards

Neil M

Goldfinches courtesy of
John Tilly.

Juvenile Whinchat courtesy of
Robin Gossage.